w--"

"Seems like you done mind them things so well 'taint no use tryen' to
rake up the buried reck'lections o' the pas' times," said the old man,
rebukingly, and with a certain pomposity. "I reckon now you 'member
all the high quality gentlemen. The New Market Jockey Club, an' how
they use to meet reg'lar as clock-work the second Tuesday in May and
October; an' how my Mahs Duke, with all the fine ruffles down his
shirt front, an' his proud walk, an' his voice soft as music, an' his
grip hard as steel, was the kingpin o' all the sports--the grandest
gentleman out o' Calliny, an' carried his head high as a king ovah all
Jerusalem--I reckon you done mind all that theah, Miss Lena."

"I will, next time," laughed the girl, "go on, Nelse, we would rather
hear what you remember."

"I don't reckon the names o' the ole time sportin' gentlemen, an'
old time jockeys, an' old time stock, would count much with a
gentleman from foreign lan's," said the old man, with a deprecating
bow to Delaven. "But my Mahs Duke Loring nevah had less than six
horses in trainen' at once. I was stable-boy, an' jes' trained up
with the colts till Mahs Duke saw I could ride. I sartainly had
luck with racin' stock, seein' which he gave me clean charge o' the
whole racin' stable; 'sides which, keepen' my weight down to eighty
pounds let me in for the jockey work--them was days. I was sent ovah
into Kaintucky, an' up Nawth far as Long Island, to ride races fo'
otha gentlemen--friends o' Mahs Duke's, an' every big race I run put
nigh onto a hundred dollar plump into my own pocket. Money?--my
king! I couldn't see cleah how I evah could spend all the money I got
them days, cause I didn't have to spend a cent fo' clothes or feed,
an' I had mo' presents give to me by the quality folks what I
trained horses fer than I could count or reck'lect.

"The ride Miss Lena done tole yo' of--that happen the yeah Mahs Duke
imported Lawd Chester, half brother to Bonnie Bell, that won the
sweepstakes at Petersburg, an' sire o' Glenalven out o' Lady Clare,
who was owned by Mahs Hampton ovah in Kaintucky. Well, sah, the yeah
he imported Chester was the yeah he an' Mr. Enos Jackson had the
set-to 'bout their two-yeah-olds--leastwise the colts _seemed_ to be
the cause; but I don't mind tellen', now, that I nevah did take stock
in that notion, my own self. Women folks get mixed up even in race
fights an' I mind one o' the han'some high steppers o' Philadelphia
way down thea